Totally; my ultra modern furniture worked great in my previous contemporary townhome, but did not work at all in my new mid-century townhome. I tried in vain to make it work because I just brought the furniture three years ago, but alas, to Craigslist it all went. The replacement furniture is being brought slowly through Craigslist and thrift stores (so the thrill of the hunt is going strong), but it was a lesson learned. Even though you love it, it just might not work where you live....

I agreed. Never buy any furniture just because it looks good. Functionality is a big key in making your home works. Otherwise, it would just be waste of money.

i do not accept your implication that beauty & style and functionality are mutually exclusive.

life is too short for plain jane.

We've got some slightly-ugly overstuffed couches in our living room and I wouldn't trade them for the world. They're the most comfortable couches I've ever sat on. When it comes to seating, I always go for function over design.

This contradicts the advice from last week, where AT advocated buying the things you love, regardless of surroundings!

I'm going absolutely CRAZY trying to decide on a sofa. I've gone from wanting the Avec from CB2, to wanting a Chesterfield, to wanting a Gus Spencer...I've gone from inexpensive to TOO expensive, and back again. Now I have sofa overload, and don't even know WHAT I want anymore! Ugh. Anymore tips on how to decide?
I think my main problem is that I just moved into this loft that I'm renting, and since I don't have any other living room furniture to speak of, the style hasn't been determined yet. And I love everything!

SoulChorea, if you want my completely unprofessional opinion, if choosing between a few sofas that you love, choose the one that you think will go with the most styles in the future. If the lines are pretty simple and the color versatile, then you won't feel like you have to get a new couch in two years when you want to redecorate. Just slap on some new pillows and you're done. I also think tight-back sofas are where it's at: they won't look sad and deflated over time.

"Life is too short for plain jane."

Not so! Life and decor are too complicated to corner yourself with something bought in the heat of the moment with which nothing else will ever cohabit nicely!

Sofas are large and basic. A style that is timeless might seem "plain jane" compared to something overstyled to the Nth degree, but you won't have to sell it and replace it as often either. Smaller accent pieces make more sense as style-makers. At lease until you settle someplace for a long haul, and can (as the post suggests) buy what fits that home.

Thanks JV; sounds reasonable! I thought of that when I was in the Chesterfield phase. I was thinking, "sure, this is awesome NOW, but what happens when Mad Men is cancelled?"

So I guess I'm on the right track. Another question I think I have to figure out myself is how to know what's "affordable" as far as sofas go. Is $3500 considered expensive by the middle-income crowd? $2000?

I agree with Sherry. It is MUCH easier to switch out smaller pieces than it is to realize that you hate your stylized couch after two years, or it won't fit in at all with the style of a house you move into in the future. When I was purchasing my furniture, I went with a couch that would work with a number of different styles, since over the next few years, I'll be in a few different living circumstances and won't have the money to buy a new one. Buy for reality, not for your dream world, because you and the people in your home don't have to live and function in the dream world, as lovely as it may be. But I say accessorize however you want!

I agree w/ Sherry -

It's far better to choose simple shapes, solid fabrics and quality materials for investment pieces such as upholstery than to choose fussy shapes, trendy patterns and discount quality - in the long term when you move and your style or needs change, that sofa or pair of armchairs will still be desirable and servicable.

If you simply must have some uber-trendy/splashy pattern in your space - reserve it for the draperies, throw pillows and bedding.

SoulChorea.com: you can get a NICE sofa for $3500! It's not the highest price-point out there (I just looked at one that was $18,000...and then turned around and walked out of the showroom), but it will buy you a sturdy sofa that will survive multiple recoverings and years of use.

Things to look for: kiln-dried hardwood frames, 8-way hand-tied springs (not necessary, but comfortable), down-wrapped foam cushions (if you're not allergic). Anything that has "engineered wood" components essentially means it's made of plywood and won't wear well or stand up well to transport. I just bought a used sofa that I will be reupholstering.

You can also find well-made furniture at a lower price-point if you know where to look. I was at Haverty's a few weeks ago and found a sofa for $900 that had all of the above requirements (except the hand-tied springs) that was attractive. Crate and Barrel also tends to use trustworthy vendors for their furniture and has reasonable prices insofar as construction goes.

I used to sell custom furniture for a living (for Calico Corners, which sells amazing custom furniture, closer to the $3500 range), in case you were wondering...

I look at sofas like I look at men's suits: if you buy a classic, neutral style, and buy the absolute best you can afford, you can get away with one suit for a VERY long time.

And the shirt and tie can be as colorful or trendy as you want to be.

agree absolutely with patrick (the other one). this is great advice for basics both in furniture & men's clothing.,

Yessir! I'm going to be moving from LA to NYC this summer and I have a gorgeous little sofa that I love and was given to me from an old roomie, which means it cost me nothing, and it's one of those sofa's that I won't be able to afford for quite some time (a few thousand).

But, sadly, it's just not practical enough for me to keep and drag across country. It's not super comfy and therefore not great for guests, it only sits about 3 but really only two comfortably, etc. It's really made to be admired in one of those rooms people rarely use, which I will never understand.

So I'm selling it and plan to get a new one at some point, and it will definitely be one that's much more functional for me especially since I'll be spending my money on this one!

I also have friends who just moved into their first house, and they were so excited to have me over to see their new sofa. I got there, and it was decent and all, but so incredibly wrong for their space.

It's a big, leather sectional and their room is a small rectangle with only one wall for it to go against in order to not block any doorways. They were just so excited to finally be able to buy a leather sectional because they always wanted one, but they didn't stop to realize it just doesn't fit in their space. And now, of course, they're stuck with it and there's no room for other furniture.

Always measure, always! lol

Style is important, and in a small home, size does matter. I fell for a few exotic, expensive, large pieces for which there were no right spots. I squeezed past and tripped over them for several years. Two men who hadn't met visited separately. Both "complimented" my home by saying that it looked like a gallery or museum. That wasn't the look for which I was aiming. I released large display pieces and their high-end bricabrac contents. I also released surplus seating. I've never regretted their departures. My home is much more comfortable. Since then, sometimes I want to buy furnishings, especially furniture. I ask myself one question: "Where would I put it?" Something I like at home would have to go before anything new would fit!

Buying a new sofa is a huge investment (for me) so I think versatility is the key. A simple style in a neutral color will not go out of style too soon. For me, the most versatile is a sectional that has one long sofa with 2 arms and another that's an armless loveseat. You can set them together as a section on either side, or you could set it up as a sofa & loveseat.
Crate and Barrel had the perfect one, but discontinued just when I had the money to buy it. Room and Board has one called Clarke, but isn't as comfy. Does anyone have suggestions for a sofa/sectional like that?

I bought a sofa that I feel in love with at Dillard's and watched it until it went on sale. It went down from $2800 to $660 and I swooped it up. It is the size of a twin size bed, but looks completely comfy and sofa like. It had some more traditional style down pillows on it coupled with some cool striped ones and solid brown ones; the entire sofa itself is brown. That said, I have been able to change the look of it so often with various pillows from anthropologie and pottery barn. I didn't realize what a basic piece it was until I removed the traditional pillows it came with.

Since I only buy stuff I love, somehow it worked with all my other furniture perfectly. I didn't even think about this chair I originally had for my bedroom when I bought it, but the chair migrated to the living room because they went together so well.

I think functionality is important, but it is just as important to love the surrounding you're in and for them to "speak to you" when you get home. I know throughout the stress of any given day I often think about how I can't wait to get to my home, because I love it so much. :) (and my adorable kitty, Gracie, makes it an even better arrival.)

I wouldn't conflate durability or comfort or quality with issues of style, as far as modern, traditional, chesterfield, whatever. You can get junk in any of those or good pieces in each style. Never get a style you hate just for practicality, you'll spend years living with it instead of something you'd enjoy.

I guess that my household is middle-income. I'd noticed that, all else being equal, my visitors prefer a solo seat. I released a futon and a sofa from the living room, keeping only comfortable chairs. My dog appropriated the most comfortable one. I arranged machine wash and dry fleece throws on it, and my dog thinks she's in heaven. I spent $3,500 on a single piece that my husband and I share comfortably. (Its source went out of business shortly afterward.) Afterward, I second-guessed my decisions.

Fortunately, they proved right for my home. The new seating has the best possible dimensions for its spot as well as concealed storage. It's comfortable, durable, and low maintenance. It's used a lot for reading, TV, and naps. My guests and family compliment its appearance and it complements its surroundings. RitaMarie, you're so right.

Buy the one that you won't freak out if your future kid pees on it.

I second that and add... or puppy!

Sometimes the best sofa isn't a sofa, but a few compact seating pieces.

There is such a difference between photographs and real life. None of the furnishings/rooms/etc. we see here and in mags would look as teriffic if you took a photo with a Brownie.

My three decor rules: 1) you must be able to pay cash for it; 2) like it? got the cash for it? buy it!; and 3) do not listen to your friends.

It works for me.

Chesterfields look best when they're worn, so don't buy a new one. I hate sectionals, but most people like them.

Buy the most comfortable, best made sofa you can afford. Most older sofas are better made than all but the very high-end ones you can buy new.

You can always reupholster.

I bought a blue gray microfiber sectional. Each piece is separate and two pieces out of the 5 are corners. I have used it in 5 different spaces over the 5 years I have owned it and in every place I have used it, I get rave compliments about how comfortable it is and nice it looks in the space. And everyone is always surprised it is not new.

So I would say, unless you are going to live in one place for 10-20 years, get a sectional and get it in a color you have loved for years and don't ever see yourself getting tired of. Also, oh my, microfiber is the best. My daughter got chocolate fudge icing on the couch, and it got mushed in and she hid it. I found it after it dried. The spot was about a 3in circle. So I took a lint roller, to get off as much as I could gently. Then I took a microfiber cloth and dampened it slightly to soften up what was left, then gently removed more, then used another microfiber cloth with clean water and removed the rest. Then for good measure in case there was any oil left, I used a tiny bit of soapy water on it and then clean water and voilà, no trace. Any other couch would have been toast.

Meh. We have a plain, comfortable, practical couch that my fiance acquired. We've had it for years, it has years left in it... and I hate it and would kill for an elegant, impractical Chesterfield. And hey, maybe if the couch weren't so comfortable our bed would get more use!

Like everything in life, it's about balance. Style is wasted if it's not comfortable, comfort is wasted if you can't stand to go near it. Not to mention all the other stuff like price, color, size, etc. I've been looking for a sofa in the $1000-$2000 range which I consider reasonable, but so far nothing that is a must have for me. So instead I went for the stopgap option.

I bought a simple, microfiber sofa like the one in the post above. I got mine from Costco (gasp!) for $400. It was an okay neutral that I wasn't in love with, had the 'chaise' piece on one end, and was a tad bigger than I desired. But for $400 I was in. The color actually works with most everything, the cats have claimed the chaise as their own which means I can sit in peace, and it's big enough for both of us to lay down on and watch tv (why sit when you can sprawl?). I actually kinda dig it. Had I paid $1000 I think I'd feel a lot less enamored. But even if we only keep this for a couple of years, it was well worth it.

The only big drawback? I have new superhuman electrical powers thanks to the foam cushions. Every time I stand up, I'm supercharged. My cats now wince when I go to pet them.